


Quote the Parrot  "Nevermore"

by songbird103082



Category: One Life to Live
Genre: One Life to Live - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-13 10:09:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3377603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songbird103082/pseuds/songbird103082
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>[This is a fan fiction I wrote about Moose the parrot on One Life to Live. I love the scene where Todd Manning first finds Moose, or rather Moose finds Todd. I couldn’t remember if Todd named him Moose or if that was the name Moose claimed was his but I don’t recall the show ever really saying why Moose was flying lose around the city so I decided to make up a back story for him. Enjoy and comment!]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quote the Parrot  "Nevermore"

Moose, a South American blue and gold macaw, was the pet and favorite companion of Alberto Mazzola, a mechanic and owner of a repair shop in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. He grew up in the area and his family used to all live on the same street. Sadly, the neighborhood had change. His parents had passed away and his cousins had left the city.  
Still, Alberto had a strong love of Philadelphia. He often would walk around the main street section of Manayunk and enjoy its night life. He loved going to Delessandro’s for a cheese steak sandwich. He enjoyed watching the Phillies win and the Yankees lose.  
He didn’t plan on getting a parrot but when a long time customer had passed, his son came into the shop and asked Alberto if he would give Moose a home. The young man was married and had a baby and didn’t feel he could give the parrot the attention he deserved. Alberto was hesitant at first but feeling he could use some companionship, he decided to take in the bird.  
He was never sorry he did. Alberto was a kind, friendly and sometimes shy man but Moose helped him be more outgoing. Moose was smart, as all parrots are, and he would joke with Alberto and make him laugh.  
Both their lives took an unexpected turn one summer day.  
* * *

“Feed the bird,” squawked Moose.

It was a typical day at the repair shop. Alberto was in his office and his two fellow mechanics were working on a couple of cars. One college girl had come in to get her oil changed in her Honda Civic while Mr. Russo had come in with his Corvette for a tune up. It was always a treat to see the classic cars like that in the shop and his two workers were admiring the gleaming red car with dreams of having their own one day. 

“Okay, Anthony,” said Alberto. “You need to pick up the lunch order for us from Decarlo’s. Moose is hungry for his clam sauce.”

“Aww okay, boss,” said Anthony as he walked down the street.

“Clam sauce,” Moose cheered. “Clam sauce!”

“Yes, Moose,” he smiled. “It’s coming.”

Alberto stretched out his tan hand and Moose obediently stepped on it. He grown his dark hair long and it was pulled back in a ponytail and he was sporting a goatee these days. Moose looked almost cheerfully at Alberto. 

Alberto looked out the window with Moose and watched some of the people passing by. A cute young woman wearing short shorts and a tube top walked by.

“Nice,” he grinned, nodding his head. 

“Nice,” echoed Moose mimicking his movements.

Alberto laughed and so did Moose. He stroked Moose’s blue and yellow feathers. He placed him on his shoulder and walked around the shop.

“Feed the bird,” squawked Moose. 

“We will soon,” he assured Moose.

Anthony returned with the delivery, smiling. He walked into the office to help hand out the grub to the hungry men and feathered friend. 

“Chow time,” Anthony cheered as he handed out the food to, Mike, the other mechanic, and Alberto and Moose.

“Okay,” said Alberto. “A sausage and pepper sandwich for Mike. A personal pizza for Anthony. Antipasto for me and a container of clam sauce for Moose.”

He took the container, opened it and placed it on his desk. Moose flew right down to the desk. 

“Clam sauce,” cheered Moose as he dug right in. 

Alberto smiled a warm smile at his feathered companion as they ate their meal together.  
* * *

Later that afternoon, he got a call from Mike who should have been on his way home at that time. 

“I am stranded man,” Mike said. “I ran out of gas.”

“You’re a mechanic, and you forgot to fill up your gas tank?” Alberto sighed.

“Yes I am in North Philly. If I give you the address, can you come with some gas?”

Alberto shook his head. Mike was a good kid but he needed to more responsible. 

“Sure, I was just about to leave the shop. I was doing the books. I’ll bring Moose with me so I won’t have to be alone.”

He hung up his cell phone and grabbed his keys. Moose was on his perch and flew over to the desk. 

“Going home?” Moose asked walking across the desk. 

“We are going to help Mike out,” he said as he placed Moose on his shoulder. “He can be quite a …bird brain.”

Moose chuckled along with Alberto as they left the shop together.  
* * *

 

About an hour later they were with Mike. Alberto handed him the gas can so he could put some fuel in his empty tank. 

“Now I am going to take that out of your paycheck,” he teased.

Moose was still sitting on his shoulder and chuckled.

“Thanks, man,” Mike smiled. “You are the best. Get home safe.”

Mike was still smiling as he started up his beat up white Dodge Shadow. He quickly drove away and left the two standing there. 

“What do you say we take a walk and maybe get a bite to eat?” Alberto asked his feathered friend whom he had transferred to his hand. 

“Feed the bird.” Moose nodded his head. 

Alberto shook his head and began to explore the area on foot. This was not a section of Philadelphia that he wanted to be in after dark but he had a least a few hours before that time would come. That gave him ample time to find a place where he could eat outside with is favorite companion.

He walked around awhile until he found a small steak shop with an outdoor eating area. He strolled up the window to order some food. 

“Hey, nice bird,” said the man behind the counter with a Puerto Rican accident. “Bonito.”

“Shucks,” chuckled Moose.

“What’s its name?” he asked.

“Moose,” said Alberto.

“Feed the bird,” Moose chirped in. 

“Well what would he like to eat?” the man inquired with a warm smile.

“Clam sauce!” Moose cheered.

“I don’t think we can get that here,” said Alberto as he held out his hand to Moose. Moose climbed onto it. 

“No, but we have some nice rolls. He can have one for free,” the man said.

“You want one of those Moose?” Alberto asked.

Moose nodded his head excitedly and flapped his wings with delight. 

“I’ll have a steak sandwich with cheese, peppers, and onions, please,” Alberto said as he placed Moose back on his shoulder.

“You got it, amigo,” the man said.

Alberto ate in the outdoor eating area with Moose sitting on the table. A younger Puerto Rican woman, probably about 21, came strolling up to them.

“What a nice bird! Is he friendly?” she asked. 

“Hey babe,” chirped Moose.

She laughed and asked if she could hold him. Alberto nodded and she held out her hand to Moose whom seemed quite pleased as he walked onto her hand. 

“Que pasa! What is your name?” she asked.

“Moose,” he replied and he whistled at her. 

She pretended to be offended. “Bad bird. That is no way to address a lady like me.”

Alberto smiled at the young woman who gave him a quick grin and a wink. She had gorgeous dark curly hair and was wearing a short white skirt and a blue tank top. If he was not so shy himself, he may have asked her if she wanted to spend more time with him and Moose. 

“Sorry, sweet thing,” said Moose shrugging a little. 

She giggled and her dark eyes lit up. Moose chuckled and so did Alberto. She carefully stroked under his beak. 

“Well, I would love to talk to you some more Moose but I need to get home to baby sit my niece. Maybe your handsome owner can tell me his name, before I go.”

“Alberto,” he replied as she helped Moose get back on his shoulder.

She pulled out a pen and paper from her purse and wrote something down. “Maybe one night we can all get together. I know a great café near here that would let you bring Moose in. My name is Lola, by the way.”

She handed the paper to Alberto and grinned at them both as she walked away with a warm look in her eyes. 

Alberto beamed as he looked at the paper. “What do you think Moose?”

Moose whistled and Alberto cleaned up the table. Perhaps, coming here had been a great thing after all. He would certainly like to see Lola again. But for now it was time to head for home.  
* * *  
Just as the sun was starting to set, Alberto had made his way back to his car. That’s when he noticed that his driver side rear tire was flat. He groaned at the prospect of now having to change it in this area after dark. He opened up his car door. 

“Wait in the car, Moose,” he ordered as he placed Moose down on the steering wheel before opening his trunk. 

It was dark before he slammed the trunk closed and was finished. He was about to get in his car and leave but he heard some commotion coming from down the alley. He turned to see what was going on.

Two men talking with Irish accents had dragged a third man into the alley. He could tell this man was not going there willingly. He was shaking and seemed frightened. There was a fourth man waiting for all of them in the alley.

“So I learned, Lorenzo, that you sold us out the cops,” the fourth man said.

K and A gang activity, thought Alberto. It has to be.

He knew he should probably run but he was frozen with fear. Moose climbed over to the open window on the passenger side and observed as well.

The other two men were kicking Lorenzo. Those men seemed to have no empathy towards their victim. Their blue eyes were cold as he cried out in pain. 

“I didn’t,” he said. “I swear that I didn’t.” 

“Liar,” the man growled. His blue eyes wide and full of rage. “It was in the papers that you confessed that we were running the meth lab and you were delivering for us.”

“You sold us out,” said one of the men who was kicking him. “You betrayed us to save your own skin.”

“Por favor,” Lorenzo cried. “I couldn’t go to jail. I have a baby now. I am sorry. I can say I lied. Show some compassion.”

Alberto slowly backed up to his car. Moose looked at him and he held a finger to his lips. Moose seemed frightened. 

The first man who spoke pulled out a gun and pointed it at Lorenzo. He did so without even flinching. 

“Please, James, I am so sorry,” Lorenzo was on his hands and knees looking up at him. 

“Too late,” James said in an icy cold voice. He pulled the trigger and shot him point blank in the head.

Moose cried out and all three men turned and saw Alberto and Moose. Alberto jumped in his car as the three of them took off after him. He fumbled for his keys but he was not fast enough. One man climbed in the passenger window and held a gun to his head. 

“Freeze,” said the man called James who was standing outside of his driver’s side window. 

“Oh God,” he mourned. “Please, I won’t tell a soul.”

“Sure you won’t,” said the man in the passenger seat. “Now you and the bird, step outside.”

Alberto was shaking like a leaf. Moose stepped onto his shoulder as he slid out the door. James motioned for him to go down the alley. 

He walked past the body of Lorenzo and stared into the dark dead eyes of a man who not even 15 minutes ago had pleaded for his life. He knew with a heavy heart that there would soon be two dead bodies in the alley. 

“Do we need to kill the parrot?” said one of the other men. “Seems a shame.”

“Yes, the damn thing will talk as well.” James glared at Moose. 

James pulled out his gun. Moose started to carry on, flapping his wings and squawking. 

“Can you shut that damn bird up?” he sniped at Alberto. 

“Moose,” he whispered. “You need to leave.”

“Go home?” Moose asked. He knew how to find his way around the city. 

“No, don’t go home nor to the shop, you must flee, run far away…on the lam.”

“On the lam?” asked Moose.

“We can’t be together, not anymore, nevermore,” he whispered. “You must never tell anyone you knew me.”

“Nevermore?” asked Moose. “Nevermore?”

“Stop it,” hissed James. 

Alberto tried to get Moose to quiet down as James looked on with rage. He aimed the gun at Alberto. 

“Nevermore,” squawked Moose as he tried to attack James. 

James struggled with his gun but still managed to shoot Alberto. Moose cried out and he tried to fly back over to Alberto. He could tell Alberto was injured when he fell down face first. 

“Moose,” Alberto cried as he laid in the alley. “Flee, don’t ever come back.”

“Nevermore,” cried Moose.

“Nevermore,” breathed Alberto as he closed his eyes. 

Moose took off flying high above the buildings. He knew what his owner meant. He was now alone again.  
On the lam, he commented to himself.  
“Nevermore,” he said sadly as he thought about Alberto in the alley. Even a parrot understands death and evil.  
* * *

After flying around for most of the night and morning, Moose wanted to find a place to rest. He flew pass an office building and spotted an open window which had a frame that could serve as a nice perch. Moose glided into the window and spotted a man with shoulder length brown hair and a goatee. The man had a funny mark on his right cheek. He was wearing a gray shirt, dark pants and a dark jacket. He was standing in front of a room full of people who were sitting down. 

Moose landed on the frame of the open window and squawked, “Nevermore.”

The man turned and gave Moose a puzzled look. His brown eyes looked at Moose in disbelief.

“Nevermore,” lamented Moose. “Nevermore.”

The man walked over to Moose and calmly held out his hand. Exhausted, Moose looked up at the man and cordially walked onto his hand with a friendly air. 

“What did you say?” he asked Moose with a bewildered expression on his face. 

“Nevermore,” complained Moose.

The man walked into the room carrying Moose. He carefully examined this new found feathered heckler as Moose studied this self-assured stranger. 

“Quote the parrot, ‘Nevermore’,” the man said perplexed. He made a face. “It will never work.”

“Nevermore,” mourned Moose as he flapped his wings.

The man made a slightly annoyed face and protested, “Isn’t anybody positive anymore?”

**Author's Note:**

> This is the ending scene:  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUpaXaAGMAo


End file.
